Hi, Bob.First, thanks a million for what you're doing. I think I can speak for all of us when I say we appreciate your knowledge and generosity. Aside from any legal or ethical considerations, this whole thing is interesting from a purely economic point of view. I read your reference to getting "ripped off" in one of your earlier statements. It had me scratching my head for a little while. Let's see...Here's Person 1, offering stuff for free, and Person 2, taking it and selling it. I couldn't quite see how Person 1 was ripped off (economically diminished) by Person 2's actions. To put it another way, it would probably be hard to claim damages in court if you offered someone something for free, and they took it and sold it. Hmm... It now occurs to me, though, that what you're really losing out on are the intangibles -- the personal credit for developing the diagrams, the thanks of those of us who use them, and the internal gratification of just plain doing something nice for people. A critic or skeptic may call those things "ego strokes", but those are some of the things that make the world go 'round. (I've done some favors for the same reasons myself.) Another intangible you've gained, that Person 2 can't touch, is a little bigger stockpile of treasure in heaven. Of course, Person 2 was simply preying on other people's ignorance for his own personal gain. He intentionally withheld the knowledge that the material was available free of charge. Now that Jay has publicized it, the ignorance vanishes and Person 2's profits go with it. Pretty neat, how economics works (sometimes). Do you think we can turn Jay loose on OPEC and the oil companies? Again, Bob, our sincere thanks. Mark W.
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